


The Purrnormal Investigators

by Mirica199



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirica199/pseuds/Mirica199
Summary: In a hidden alleyway, a group of cats with paranormal abilities live. They have the power to speak to ghosts, and they have their own religion with their own rules. But recently, mysterious murders have been happening. And as slowly but surely the population dwindles, the cats slowly become desperate.Then Sooty, a grey housecat with piercing amber eyes that seem red in the light, is thrown into the havoc after escaping near death. She offers to help the cats, and all of a sudden, she's thrown into a new world...





	1. Outside

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy original story time  
> this is actually an idea that I've had for a few days now, but tbh this is in it's early stages now  
> idk what to name some of the characters that will appear later, I still need to decide that and I also need to have a full plot in mind  
> I have a basic idea for it tho, I hope y'all enjoy it

As far as Sooty was concerned, life was normal. Every day was the same, all was predictable. Wake up, interact with owners, eat, relax, maybe play? If she was in the mood, she'd play with them. Eat again, then sleep. That's how it was every day. For the first year or so, she was content with it. But recently, she's been feeling like something's out there, calling for her.

Sooty herself was a grey housecat. Her eyes were unusual. They were a piercing amber, but if looked at a certain way in the light, they appeared to be red. No one is sure why, but Sooty thinks it just makes her unique. She had a collar as well; purple with pinkish purple markings and a pretty yellow bell, which ringed as she walked. The bell is supposed to warn birds that she is hunting that she is about to pounce, but she's never hunted a bird before.

Because she isn't allowed outside. Every day Sooty sits by the window, dreaming of what life outside is like. It must be better than being stuck in the same place, eating the same food, playing the same games, and sleeping in the same spot every day. Outside seemed to be endless. But she just wasn't allowed. She still remembered hearing her owner's explain to her why that's the case.

"Outside is a scary place. So many bad things could happen to you, Sooty. It's better if you stay inside with us." They patted her on the head after that, which made her purr. At the time, she was fine with it. Now she wanted to be outside more than anything. Surely it wasn't that scary? She'd look out for herself, she'd be fine. If only she could prove to her owners that...

Today started as any other day. She woke up in the same spot, she ate the same food, she relaxed in the same place. Occasionally she'd come up to her owners, meow at them for attention, and they'd give her the attention she seeked. Getting pets are nice, but she felt like it was getting stale. Then she went back to the spot where she was relaxing so she could doze off.

She was awoken a few hours later by one of her owners, who woke her up by petting her gently. She trilled softly as she woke up, then gazed into his eyes. "We'll be going out for a few hours, just me and her. Don't get yourself into too much trouble, alright?" Sooty just blinked at him, before he and the other owner went out of the room and exited through the front door. She thought about blazing out of the door, but she'd just get scolded, so she kept herself where she was. For about five minutes.

Then she got up, stretched, and leapt down from where she was relaxing, wandering around the house. "What to do today..." She muttered to herself, taking in the sights of the house. She walked up the stairs to the upper rooms, and after investigating several doors, she decided to enter the room where her two owners slept.

Leaping onto the bed, Sooty sat down and yawned. Her eyes trailing across the room, she saw a sight that made her unusual amber eyes light up. The bedroom window was open. Were her owners really that stupid to forget to lock the window before they went out? Anticipation pounded in Sooty's chest. This could be it! This could be the moment where she goes outside for the first time in...seemingly ever!

She had been outside in a back garden once when she was a kitten, before she got adopted and taken with her owners. She could still remember playing with her brothers and sisters, her mother keeping a watchful eye on them. Sometimes she would be let outside in her new back garden, but only if someone was watching her. The few times she did go outside she was still restricted. Now she could go outside without any restrictions at all!

Walking toward the open window, she leapt up, holding on with her paws. She managed to scramble up, before making a leap and diving out of the window. The sudden impact of the floor stunned her for a bit, but she eventually stood up, groaning a bit. Shaking herself, she looked around, and the anticipation in her chest turned into sheer joy. She was outside! She was actually outside!

All of a sudden rules didn't matter. She was outside, and she could do whatever she wanted to do! Taking a quick look at her house, she jumped over the fence and into the world outdoors. Fresh air greeted her face as she walked on, and her ears picked up the sounds of humans talking, as well as the occasional cars that sped by. She was warned by her owners that cars are dangerous, but she wasn't stupid! There was no way she'd let a car hit her. So she continued to walk on.

There was quite a lot of houses where the other humans lived. And there were other animals that weren't just cats as well. They looked at her curiously, but didn't think much about her. Smiling widely in happiness, she trotted on, proud of herself for allowing herself to go outside for once.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, she was taking in the new sights of the fresh world outside. Why did her owners want her to not go outside again? This felt so good! Now she could prove to them she could go outside on her own and come back just fine. When could she even come back? That didn't matter. She'd take as long as she needed!

The bell on her collar rang as she walked, alerting others of her presence. A few humans turned to look at her, but didn't think much of her. She stopped just outside of a massive field, and she could feel her heart swell with awe. It was so big, lush and green! She hadn't seen so much grass in her life! A trilling noise escaped her as she padded into the field, the scent of grass enveloping her.

What was there that she could even hunt here? Could she even hunt anything? The stupid bell on her collar kept ringing constantly, which told the wildlife around that she was near. She looked down at the bell, it's golden light shining as it swung to the left then to the right, ringing loudly. Groaning, Sooty pawed at her bell, which just made it ring more. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she stood up, continued to walk...

...before she suddenly felt something clamp around her neck. Letting out a gasp that was quickly cut short, she suddenly felt herself be flung into the air and land hard on the ground. Gasping, she stood up, only to see something big, black and furious approach. Was it a dog? It looked like a dog, but it was bigger than the normal one. It was the biggest dog she had ever seen! It snarled viciously as it leapt for her, but Sooty quickly turned tail and ran off. Grass streaked all around her as she ran, and she knew the dog was right behind.

Thinking about it, was it even a dog at all? It had all the similarities to a dog but it was much bigger than the biggest dog. Was it one of those ancestors of a dog? She tried to remember that wildlife program she remembered her owners watching, herself watching close behind. What were they called? Wolves? Was a wolf chasing her?! No, wolves weren't normally found where she lived! Before she had time to blink, she felt jaws snap just behind her neck, and she turned around, the creature approaching fast. Yes, it was a wolf. But what was a wolf doing here?!

And then the wolf quickly took advantage of her turning around by leaping right for her throat. Sooty tried to pull back, but she felt the teeth snap dangerously close to her, and for a moment she thought she was dead. The wolf pulled back, and there was a ripping sound and Sooty was flung backwards. Getting up in a daze, she felt her whole body go numb as she saw what had happened. The bell that was on her collar was now in the wolf's mouth. With one bite, the bell was split in two.

The destroyed bell parts fell in front of Sooty, who stared down at them, eyes wide. She then turned to the wolf, it's black fur shimmering in the daylight. It turned to Sooty, eyes wide and furious, and Sooty instantly knew there was no time to be sitting around. So she turned tail and ran. This time she felt herself run faster than she ever had ran before, her heart pounding in her chest.

Suddenly, the grass broke away, revealing a bustling city ahead. Terror gripping her, Sooty ran into the outskirts of the city, and she could've sworn she heard a howl from behind her. Was the wolf summoning it's pack to get her? Sooty slowed down, running out of breath, before she stopped. Breathing heavily, she turned behind her. The wolf wasn't there. Did it give up? Was it going to come back for her with it's friends? Sooty felt like her heart was going to explode with fear as she stood still for a few moments.

Then, her ears pricked up. There was a new sound approaching. It sounded like a roaring sound. Turning, Sooty felt the screech freeze inside her seeing a massive car slamming it's way into her, but right before it could, the grey cat dove out of the way, skidding onto the pavement. Eyes wide with horror, she suddenly realized she was in a new surrounding. The city that was right beside her stood proudly, humans conversing with each other, the cars that seemed never ending, and the new sights which seemed completely unfamiliar to her.

It was then, only then, did Sooty realize that this was why her owners wanted her to never go outside. And with heart burning with regret, she suddenly wished she never jumped out of that window.


	2. The Alleyway

Tires screeched as Sooty dove out of the way, nearly getting hit by a second car in the span of a few minutes. Breathing hard, she spun her head around in all directions, desperately trying to avoid whatever could happen. That wolf? Those cars? What else could she face that could absolutely destroy her?

Not knowing what else to do, she broke into a run, dashing across roads and pavements before she began to slow down and walk. The bell was torn off her collar, so there was no ringing to alert others that she was here. Her eyes glowed as she walked along, too many humans wandering around her.

Maybe one of them knew how to get her home? Sooty walked up to one of the humans, meowing lowly. The human seemed to have her attention, because he looked down at her, eyes burning into her. “Do you think you can help me get home?” Sooty meowed, knowing the human couldn’t understand her. But maybe with the pleading look in her eyes and her collar, maybe he could help?

But it just wasn’t meant to be, as the human suddenly yelled something that Sooty couldn’t understand. She felt her fur prick with fright, and the human kept on yelling at her. Realizing it was no good, she turned tail and ran, just as she felt something blaze past her. She didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t want to know.

All she wanted was to be back in her warm home, with her owners fussing over her. It would be better than what she was going through now. All because she broke the one rule her owners set up for her.

When she felt like she had ran far enough from the horrible human, she slowed down, until she eventually stopped. Her breaths were heavy and tired, and she shivered when a cold breeze rushed past her fur. Her amber eyes grew sad as she gazed around at her unfamiliar surroundings. She was alone. Just like when her owners left to go out, but this time, it felt worse.

If only she hadn’t left…

...wait. Her ears pricked up as she suddenly sensed something. There was a scent in the air. The scent of another cat. Was there really another cat around here? She looked around, and she suddenly smelt another scent. Multiple cats? Her eyes blinked with curiosity as she wandered in the direction where the scents were coming from.

It led into a dark, dull alleyway. Sooty stopped in front of the alleyway, pausing to take it all in. It was dimly lit and looked uninviting, but the scent of the cats were growing stronger. Did cats live here? It seemed like it. Maybe they could help her?

Sometimes Sooty saw a big brown cat sitting on the neighbours wall when she was looking out of the window. But he was a housecat just like her. These cats smelt truly wild, like they had been born and raised in this dull alleyway their whole lives. What if they turned her down?

It’s better than nothing, at least. It would be better to stay here for the night than be running around the city, trying to find which way she came from. So she entered the alleyway. It was dark, dusty, and a bit creepy. But Sooty swallowed her fears and continued on, trying to remain brave. By now the scent of cats were stronger than ever, but the grey cat walked onward.

She could hear whispers. Other cats had noticed her, she knew it. But they didn’t seem to be attacking her? She could’ve sworn cats who lived on the streets would attack even the tamest cat, or that’s what her owners told her anyway. She kept on walking, until she saw something that made her walk come to a halt.

Three sets of piercing eyes. Three sets of eyes that stared right into her. It was hard to see who they belonged to in the darkness, but Sooty could make out green, yellow and blue eyes.

“Who are you?” One of the shadows spoke.

Sooty stepped back a bit, but sighed, regaining her composure. “Can...can I stay here for the night?”

“Why?” Another shadow spoke. It sounded like a young girl.

“Just...just until the morning. I need somewhere to sleep.” Sooty replied.

“So you’re not going to stay?” The last shadow gasped. Sooty shook her head. “B...but why?”

“I...I have a home.” Sooty lowered her head, half expecting the shadows to rip her to shreds.

“A home?”

“Wow! We should’ve known based on the collar!” And then the three shadows stepped into the light, revealing themselves to Sooty for the first time.

The shadow with the green eyes was a brown tabby cat. He looked big and hefty, and was the biggest of the three cats. He had striking cheek fur, which stuck out on all ends. He blinked slowly at Sooty, and she gulped as she turned to the second cat.

The second cat, the one bearing yellow eyes, looked like a kitten; she couldn’t be any more than a few months old. She was a pinkish grey kitten with dark grey ear tips and paws. There was also a heart marking on her chest, which made Sooty smile a bit. Then, she turned to the cat with the blue eyes.

He was a ginger cat. A seemingly simple ginger cat, but had a pale ginger mark on his chest that looked like a bolt of lightning. His blue eyes shone as he gazed at Sooty with a caring glance.

“Hello!” The pinkish grey kitten chirped suddenly.

“You’re a housecat, right?” The brown tabby asked.

Sooty was surprised at how friendly these cats seemed to be. Judging by their scents they didn’t mean harm at all. “Y...yes. I thought you knew because of my collar!”

“Eh, it’s alright. Sometimes we get housecats wandering around here.” The ginger cat smiled.

They really did seem friendly. Sooty lowered her head as she introduced herself. “I’m...I’m Sooty.”

“Sooty...an unusual name for an unusual cat.” The tabby replied.

“Unusual?” Sooty tilted her head to one side, confused by the reply.

“Your eyes!” The kitten squeaked. “I’ve never seen a cat with eyes like them! They’re red!”

“N...no! They’re amber.”

“But in the light they look red!”

“That’s what my owners say as well, but…”

“Alright, alright, come here.” The tabby curled his bushy tail around the kitten, who seemed to settle down almost instantly. He then turned to Sooty, his green eyes glowing. “Hello, Sooty. My name is Tyrion.”

The kitten squirmed out of Tyrion’s tail to bounce up to Sooty once again. “Hiya! I’m Sweet! Because I am very, very, very sweet!”

Sooty couldn’t help but to laugh a bit. She was just a kitten, she’s still very young. There’s so much she needs to learn about life but she’s just so innocent. The ginger cat bent down to pick Sweet up, before putting her down beside him and then turning to Sooty.

“Lightning. Wanna know how I got my name?”

“Yes.”

“The mark on my chest. It looks like a lightning bolt.”

“Why am I not surprised by that…” Sooty muttered, before turning to the three cats. Tyrion, Sweet and Lightning gazed at her expectantly, almost as if she was waiting for her to say something. So she did.

“So...I’m sorry I came here without any warning. I used to live in a house, but then I went outside for the first time and then I got chased by a wolf and now I’m lost…”

“Wait...chased by a wolf…?” Tyrion’s eyes widened. Sooty nodded.

“You mean...you met the Great Bite?!” Lightning gasped.

“Great Bite?” Sooty repeated.

“Yes! He’s super scary! Everyone here doesn’t like him!” Sweet piped up.

“You’re lucky! Being attacked by the Great Bite and surviving! He’s so dangerous around here, hardly anyone goes out to the field in case he’s there!” Tyrion sounded awed.

“Well...he did tear the bell off my collar. But aside from that I’m mostly unscathed.”

“Who needs a bell on a collar, anyway? It’s so annoying! It rings all the time and you hardly catch any prey because of it!” Lightning huffed.

“I...I need to get home. But I want to stay here for the night before I head out to try and find my way back. Is that alright?” Sooty asked politely.

The three cats turned to face each other, looking unsure, before turning back to Sooty. “Does it have to be temporary?” Tyrion whispered.

“Yes. Why?”

“It’s just...there used to be so many more cats in here. We’d hunt for each other, fight for each other, and love for each other. It was a perfect little community.” Tyrion’s eyes closed, almost painfully.

“But then the Great Bite appeared!” Sweet leapt up and landed in front of Sooty.

“Sweet! Get back here!” Tyrion snapped. Sweet’s ears drooped as she padded toward Tyrion and sat beside him.

“She has a point. Over the course of the last few months, many of us have been murdered.” Lightning’s voice grew hard.

Sooty felt her blood turn into ice upon hearing that. “Murdered?” She managed to choke out.

“Yes. At first we didn’t know why. But...now we think we know. It’s the Great Bite.” Tyrion replied.

“A little cat can’t fight off a wolf!” Lightning spoke. “Sometimes when a cat goes hunting they don’t come back. So a patrol is sent to find them...and most of the time they come back with a body with sharp bite marks. Sometimes a ripped throat or a leg torn off. It’s the Great Bite, we’re all certain of it!”

“There aren't a lot of cats here anymore.” Sweet’s voice sounded sad. “I remember being a month old and playing with a few cats. Now most of the cats I’ve played with are gone. I don’t know where they’ve gone, but they’ve gone. And it makes me sad.”

“The only cats left are me, Tyrion, Sweet, a few other cats and the elder. That’s all there is. We need more cats, but the wait for new kittens to be born and more cats getting murdered are getting closer and closer in between. Before we know it everyone will be gone before new kittens are born. And then our community will be gone.” Lightning’s eyes shut in sorrow. 

“If you stay, we can at least get one more cat than we once had. Do you have to go?” Tyrion whispered.

Sooty was shaken by all of this. How was she meant to know that these cats were going through a hard time? She looked down, grief gripping her as she spoke. “I...I’m sorry for your losses. I truly am. But what can I do about it? Nothing. I’m not a street cat like you. And I never will be.”

“I understand.” Tyrion sounded disappointed. “You have a nice home, owners who care for you, great food and a nice bed...and what do we have? We fight to survive. You wouldn’t understand what life here is like, hunting, sleeping with a community, talking to the ghosts of our loved ones…”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Sooty’s ears pricked up with interest. “Say that again.”

“Talking to the ghosts of our loved ones?”

“Wh…” Sooty stepped back a bit, taken aback. “My owners never told me that! Wait...you can talk to ghosts?”

The three cats looked at each other, before turning to Sooty. “Over the course of the mysterious murders, the elder taught us all new powers we didn’t know she had. Now, we have the power to speak to the ghosts of the dead. Speak to the ghosts murdered by the Great Bite. Speak to our loved ones again.” Tyrion started.

“And we’re doing everything we can to investigate the murders of the innocent! We’re investigating the Great Bite, and how he links into this!” Sweet spoke.

“We do not want any more innocent cats to die. And that’s why we’ve become investigators.” Lightning strode up to Sooty. “We are the Purrnormal Investigators.”

Sooty blinked. “Purr...normal? I get it.” She smiled slyly. The smile then turned into a frown as she spoke. “Wait...are you the only street cats who can talk to ghosts?”

“We must be. Where else is there an alleyway where the oldest cat alive there can speak to ghosts of the dead and teach us how to do so as well?” Sweet replied.

“Hey...what if you wanted to help us? What if we made you a Purrnormal Investigator?” Lightning suggested.

“Wh...me? But...I’m a housecat!” Sooty sounded shocked.

“Yes, but with our training, we could teach you. We’ve never had a housecat training to become like us. And...let’s be honest, who knows when someone else will get murdered? It’s better if we get new cats to help us not only to improve our community, but to make sure something like this never happens again.”

“But…” Sooty turned back nervously.

“Sooty.” Lightning walked up to her and put a paw on her chest. “They’ll be fine. Cats have nine lives, they can survive things that humans can’t. Don’t worry about your owners. They will be fine.”

Sooty locked eyes with Lightning. He lifted his paw from her chest and stepped back. “Do you want to help us?”

The grey cat looked down onto the ground. Her owners needed her. How would they react when they realize she vanished without a trace? But at the same time...she could feel like these cats needed her help more than her owners did. Cats were getting murdered in cold blood, and her owners weren’t. She sighed deeply, before lifting her head to meet Tyrion, Sweet and Lightning’s gaze.

“I’ll do it.”

“Hooray!” Sweet bounced up, cheering.

“Excellent!” Tyrion ran up to Sooty, putting his tail on her back.

“Now we need you to see the elder. She’ll teach you what to do! Come on!” Lightning grinned as he ran toward the deepest, darkest bit of the alleyway, Sweet bounding after him. Tyrion went on ahead, and Sooty allowed herself to follow them.

What if she regretted this? What if she never saw her owners again? No...these cats need her more than they do at this moment. And she told them that she would help them.

She wasn’t about to let them down.


End file.
